It wasn't that long ago that former NFL wide receiver Justin Blackmon was arrested for public intoxication, and nobody will blame you if you shrugged at the news. After all, this is just one of many off-field incidents that have obfuscated what could've been a Hall-of-Fame worthy career with the Jacksonville Jaguars if he had put his act together.
Hindsight is 20/20, but it's easy to see why the Jags made Blackmon the fifth overall selection in the 2012 player selection meeting. He put up monster numbers and Oklahoma State and earned all kinds of awards during his stint with the Cowboys. In fact, the Oceanside, California native was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2024 and is scheduled to be enshrined into his alma mater's Ring of Honor in Fall 2025. That's just how dominant he was at the collegiate level.
Unfortunately, Blackmon got off to a rough start with the Jags, getting arrested for driving under the influence. He eventually got a four-game suspension that he served in 2013. Nevertheless, he had everyone gushing about his game-changing potential for a brief moment.
The two-time Biletnikoff Award winner went off against the rival Houston Texans in Week 11 of the 2012 season, hauling in seven receptions for 236 yards with one touchdown. He ended up leading all rookie receivers that year with 64 catches for 865 yards with five touchdowns that year. That could've been the start of a dominating NFL career. Instead, Blackmon only suited up for four more games.
After serving a four-game suspension to start 2023, the 2010 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year winner was later slapped with another suspension, this time on an indefinite basis. He never played another down in the NFL.
While then-head coach Gus Bradley and former general manager Dave Caldwell were supportive of Blackmon throughout his suspension, the latter was painfully aware that he was a long shot to play again. As a matter of fact, Caldwell operated in 2014 as if the talented wideout weren't on the team, using a pair of draft picks on Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee that year and signing Allen Hurns as an undrafted free agent.
What kind of legacy did Justin Blackmon leave with the Jaguars?
Wasted potential. That's the best way to sum up Justin Blackmon's brief yet troubled NFL career. It's easy to forget now, but he put up jaw-dropping numbers as a rookie catching passes from the dreadful Blaine Gabbert: imagine what he could've done with a quasi-competent quarterback behind center.
And make no mistake, substance abuse is a disease, one that can make you hit rock bottom, but won't get out of it unless you want to, and have the drive to make it happen. After all, it isn't as simple as staying sober or just wanting to get right. It takes a Herculean effort to overcome the kind of situation Blackmon dealt with. Having said that, he must hold himself accountable for his actions and accept the consequences.
Just recently, senior correspondent John Oehser of the team's official website talked about how much of a game-altering talent Blackmon was when asked how Travis Hunter compared to him.
"Jaguars rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter's hands from this early and premature view are soft, and his ability to track the ball and make phenomenal catches look easy is elite stuff," Oehser wrote. "Former Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon's hands seemed to swallow the ball; when he caught it, it was as if the ball had no choice but to be there. Both skills are elite stuff, and both are effective. At the same time, the two players hardly could have felt different."
Oehser continued, "I don't know that I would put Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.'s hands quiiiite at the level of Blackmon and maybe Hunter, though it's quite possible he's the best overall receiver of the group."
Imagine comparing Justin Blackmon to Brian Thomas Jr., one of the most dominant receivers in the NFL last year. But that goes on to show just how talented he was and how he put it all to waste.
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